My Caledonia
by byrdgirl
Summary: Giles returns to his true home...Sunnydale, to help Buffy & the Scoobies fight a new threat. AU taking place after Hells Bells. Finally finished!
1. Running

So, here's my first BTVS fanfic. I'm not finished with it yet, but I want somefeedback so I can edit and   
make it all nice. Keyword here...feedback. Tell me what you think. Give me suggestions. What's good   
and what's not? Please let me know if you find any mistakes as I'd like to correct them.   
  
  


**My policy of course, is that if you review me, I'll review you.**   
  
  
  
  


Chapter 1: Running   
  


It was late. The eccentric old bar known as the Hag's Breath was just about to close. Tom Devries,   
the owner, was washing a few stray glasses, while the band, a dusty collection of men trying to escape some   
unpleasant reality, finished up their last number. The last few patrons, regulars at the Hag's Breath, hardly   
noticed when the final sounds floated out the open door, ghosts of the songs they once were. 

"Thanks boys." Tom smiled. Justin Page, the lead singer smiled back quietly as they began to pack   
up their equipment. "I-it was our pleasure as always, Tom. Same time Saturday? " Page's band had been   
playing at Tom's bar every Monday, Thursday and Saturday night for the last month and a half. 

"Of course." Tom reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded envelope. "Here's for tonight   
and Monday. Sorry I couldn't pay Monday, by the way. You know how it is sometimes." 

Page, a quiet, unassuming man with an amazing singing voice, got a cloudy, far away look for a moment.   
Then he smiled, more to himself than to Tom. "Yes. Yes, I know how it is sometimes. Don't worry about it." 

"Thanks, mate. See you Saturday." 

Tom watched as the private man walked out of the bar into the rainy London night, and shook his head.   
The Hag's Breath did not cater to a wealthy clientele. Most of the people who came to the bar, either to   
drink or to work, had one secret or other. He knew very well that the dilapidated establishment attracted the   
darker side of London; the side that most fine, upstanding citizens didn't want to acknowledge. Page was   
something completely different though. He had secrets. There was no question about that. But somehow   
he was different from the others. 

"You're reading into things too much again, mate." Tom muttered to himself, and walked back in to   
kick out the last few stubborn customers, who would take up residence if they could. 

********** 

Justin Page entered his tiny flat, wearily. He managed to lock the door behind him and turn on a light   
before collapsing on his couch, which was also acting as a bed at the moment. 

He sprawled, absolutely still and silent for a moment, before setting himself to the task of sorting through   
the small stack of envelops he'd picked up from his post box. "Bill...bill...order..." He froze at the forth one.   
The address was written in tidy scrawl with rainbow colored ink. "Damn!" He whispered. Of all the things   
he had to suffer through...and he suffered through a lot...he thought these letters were the hardest to cope with. 

He opened the letter carefully and pulled out the neat, feminine stationary. 

Dear Giles,   
  
I know you won't write back, but I wish you would. We all miss you so much. I was half expecting you   
to show up at the wedding. A whole week before the wedding, every time the door bell would ring, I'd cross   
my fingers. You never came though, did you? I'm sorry, I don't want you to feel guilty. Well, maybe just a little. 

You missed and interesting event. I don't know what was worse...having to fight demons for a chance in   
the bathroom, or having to listen to Xander's family. They didn't get married you know. I don't want to go   
into details because I still don't really want to deal with it. How come nothing good ever happens on the   
hellmouth? I mean you find a good thing and then it gets ruined by a demon, or a vampire, or an apocalypse.   
I think I'm going to college in New York. 

I hope that London is nice, although I hear it's kind of gross this time of year. I'll write again soon to give   
you the excruciating details of Days of Our Hellmouth. 

Love,   
Dawn 

PS Don't worry, I still haven't told the others where you live. 

Giles stared at the letter for a long time, trying to fight back the tears. After he came to London he'd   
moved several times. He tried to break off all contact with his former life after it became painfully clear   
how upsetting it was. Buffy was the worst, sending letters filled with such anger and hurt. She really thought   
Giles had left in order to punish her. She wouldn't accept that what he did was best for everyone. More   
than anything, he wished that Buffy and the Scoobies would forget him and move on with their lives...their   
adult lives. 

Somehow though, no matter what he did, Dawn found him. Even with his new flat rented under the   
alias of Justin Page, she had still found him. It was quite remarkable actually. Giles had long suspected   
that Dawn possessed a subtle kind of magic that put any of Willow's spectacular achievements to shame.   
This was just another example. 

Giles sighed, folded the letter back into the envelope, and put it in a box with a growing pile of similar   
letters and cards. He threw the other 3 envelopes on the trunk that passed for a coffee table, and stalked   
off to the bathroom to get ready for bed. 

********** 

By the next morning the rain had stopped and even though it was still cloudy, the sun did show through   
in spots. Giles woke up early, despite his late night. After making himself a large mug of very strong tea,   
he sat back down on his couch to start his day job. 

When Giles first arrived in London, he didn't find a lot of job openings for librarians. What he did find   
was a large population of very rich people looking for very rare books. While he worked at several menial   
jobs, he established a name for himself as a man who could find books. Of course that name was Justin Page.   
He knew that the name was rather tacky and obviously contrived, but people remembered it. Pretty soon   
he was able to quite his other jobs and become a book hunter full time. 

He kept the band job though. No matter where he was in life, music kept him grounded. When he   
sang, all of his worries and fears disappeared, even if only for the space of a song. He lost touch with   
his music for a while back in Sunnydale. It took him several apocalypses and the loss of a job before   
he went back to it. He didn't want to loose touch of it again. 

Giles picked up the order that came in the mail the previous evening and opened it. The order was   
for an incredibly rare latin text about early christianity. Giles had heard of it before, but had never seen   
it. He had a few contacts that could probably give him leads on that one, but it would have to wait. He   
had a large shipment of books to distribute and hopefully some considerable checks to collect. 

********** 

Nine hours later, Giles stood at the door of a very fancy county house just outside of London. He held   
two books in his hand; the last delivery of the day. He stood with some trepidation as he rang the door   
bell. This was the home of Mrs. Welmont; a wealthy widow of sixty three years whose interest in rare   
books grew exponentially when her friend had mentioned the new, mysterious book hunter who could   
find 'simply anything, dear.' 

Heavy, eager footsteps could be heard inside. Then, there was a click of the lock, and Mrs. Welmont   
was there in all of her corpulent, flowery glory. 

"Mrs. Welmont, how nice to see you." Giles said with a rather sickly smile plastered on his face. 

"Justin dear, please call me Anna!" Her Wagnerian voice grated on his few remaining nerves. Every   
time he delivered books to her she said the same thing. Six deliveries and I still call you Mrs. Welmont.   
Take the hint, you old cow.> To Mrs. Welmont he said "Yes, of course Anna." 

They stood there for a moment in silence; Giles in self conscious irritation, Mrs. Welmont in undisguised   
admiration. I feel like a piece of meat.> 

After the agonizing pause, Mrs. Welmont jumped as though she had just remembered where she left   
her keys. "Oh yes, of course. Your check!" She laughed, and smiled flirtatiously. "When you get to be   
my age, things just slip your mind. Won't you come in? This will just take a moment." 

Giles followed her in. 'Come into my parlor' said the spider to the fly.> He knew that she had not   
forgotten his check. She probably hid her check book under a couch cushion somewhere so that she   
could keep him there an extra half an hour. 

She puttered around the downstairs of her enormous house, all the while dragging Giles with her and   
wondering in a singsong voice "Now where did I put that check book?" Finally, unable to stop himself,   
Giles asked "Did you check the couch cushions?" 

"Excuse me, dear?" Mrs. Welmont's head turned towards him, delightedly. 

"Never mind." He struggled with the rude smirk that was trying to surface. Mrs. Welmont might be   
a terror to single men everywhere, but she was also a good source of income. She always ordered extravagantly   
expensive books and always paid top price for them. He didn't want to loose one of his best customers, just   
because of a rude comment. 

Eventually she did find her check book("Oh, it was in my purse the whole time! How silly of me?") and   
Giles was able to return to the relative peace of his little apartment. He stepped into his apartment with his   
usual stack of mail and a much more satisfying stack of checks, to be deposited the next day. 

"Order...order...bill...junk..." He sat on his couch, sorting his mail. He stopped at an unusually letter.   
The address was handwritten, but not by Dawn. And, unlike Dawn's letter which were always addressed   
to Justin Page, this one was addressed to him, Rupert Giles. There was no return address, which made   
the whole thing even more suspicious. Cautiously, Giles opened the letter. The message was quite simple   
and direct: 

Tully's. Saturday. Noon. Important. 

His eyes narrowed at the cryptic message. Was the Council trying to contact him? Usually, if the Council   
wanted to talk to a person, they just walked in the front door without knocking. 

He couldn't think of who it could be. No one knew where he was except Dawn, and she didn't exactly have   
the means to fly to London. 

As he got ready for bed that evening, he found it incredibly difficult to relax. A terrible feeling was beginning   
to form at the base of his neck and spread, like frost, down his spine to his limbs.   
  
  



	2. Old friendships die hard

  
Alright, here's chapter 2. Some questions are answered. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first   
section. Don't forget to review this one too. I'll take compliments, criticisms, flames(with a grain of salt   
and some rosemary), and any theories as to what you think might happen next. Enjoy!   


Chapter 2: Old friendships die hard(no matter how many times you try to kill them)   
  


Giles sat alone in a corner booth at Tully's. He sipped impatiently at his second cup of tea, which was   
served to him by a very irate waitress. His mystery messenger was twenty minutes late and right now,   
Giles could understand irate. 

Giles woke up at about 9:30 that morning. He had spent most of the night tossing and turning and   
dreaming restless dreams. He woke up tired and irritable. He wasn't used to mysteries anymore, and he   
wasn't really sure he ever wanted to be again. 

He tried to distract himself from his meeting at Tully's by working on several book orders. They   
weren't too much of a challenge. Most of them could be gotten through any antique book seller, if you   
knew how to ask. He stared at the slips of paper for only a moment before throwing them down in frustration.   
After that, he decided that his time would be better spent walking. He took a long, winding walk through the   
back streets of London that eventually brought him to Tully's; Tully's, where he now waited, slowly filling up   
with caffeine and nervous energy. 

Giles looked at his watch again. 12:26. Damn!> He thought, glaring at the offensive device. 

"Sorry I'm late old friend. Got a bit tied up...literally." 

Oh no.> Giles thought. No, no, no, no, no!> The voice had come from behind him, but that didn't   
matter. He would recognize that self satisfied voice anywhere. Could the day get any worse? 

Giles turned to the smug grinning face of Ethan Raine. If Ethan was involved, then yes, the day could   
get much worse. 

"What Ripper, no hug for your old friend?" 

The retired Watcher made a very quick decision. He was not going to get sucked into any of Ethan's   
games or tricks. Without a word, he got to his feet and took the first steps towards the door. Just walk   
away.> The little voice in his head was saying. 

"Rupert, I wouldn't do that." Against his will, Giles turned. The use of his real name, plus the   
unexpected sound of sincerity in Ethan's voice had caught his attention. Still, he wasn't ready to actually   
listen to his long ago friend, so he resorted to anger and the odd threat. 

"Oh really, you wouldn't do that? Ethan, I'm in no mood for you...ever again. So what is it, a new   
business venture, new magic, a demon take up residence in your sock drawer, or does someone want you   
dead, perhaps?" 

"No. Buffy." was his only reply. 

Giles was thrown for a second at the mention of his slayer, but only for a second. 

"Buffy wants you dead? Well that's nothing new. I would have thought you'd be used to that by now." 

It was then that Giles noticed the look of apprehension in the sorcerer's face. He wasn't playing a joke   
this time. His voice became a hissing through his teeth. "My god man, I'm here to help the good guys,   
hard as that is to believe. Now if you would please sit down! I need a drink. Then, I will explain." 

Their eyes locked for a moment. Neither moved. Giles was trying to determine whether it was a good   
idea to listen any further, and Ethan was waiting to see what Giles would do. Why do I always get myself   
into these situations?> Giles thought. He sat down as that terrible feeling from the previous evening seized   
him full force. 

Ethan ordered a whiskey from the waitress. She looked slightly more interested in her customers now   
that she might actually get a decent tip from them. Honestly> She thought as she walked away, shooting   
another dirty look at Giles. Whoever heard of drinking tea in a bar, anyway?> 

They waited until the waitress returned with the whiskey and walked away again to do something   
important...like paint her nails. Ethan took a measured sip of his whiskey and sighed, letting the drink   
relax his muscles. "Hmmm. Much better." 

"I'm not going to wait all afternoon, Ethan. What was so important that you were willing to risk a   
serious thrashing, which, I might add, is still not out of the picture." 

"Manners Ripper." Raine's voice was smug and grating. "You know what they say. You catch more   
bees with ho..." 

"Ethan!" Giles emphasized his impatience by pounding his fist into the table. The impact was enough   
to make both Ethan and his half empty whiskey glass jump. 

"Right. Well." Ethan's cleared his throat nervously. "All pleasantries aside. I have news from the   
council. They're not happy with your slayer." 

"She's not my slayer anymore and the council has never been pleased with her, and you're loosing   
my interest. Why have you been talking to the council anyway?" 

"Oh, you know me, Ripper. I have to have a hand in everything. I still have one reliable source in the   
council, and I'm afraid this is more serious than you think. Katherina." 

Giles rolled his eyes. Of course he was going to have to drag every little piece of information out of   
Ethan. The warlock absolutely loved these games, they gave him a sense of power. Giles was actually rather   
surprised that Ethan hadn't yet sung a rousing chorus of "I know something you don't know!" 

"Who is Katherina?" 

"Katherina is a little project of your friend Travers. She's a vampire slayer." 

"What?" Suddenly, this wasn't a game anymore. The only way that the Katherina could be a slayer,   
was if another slayer had died. Buffy already died once(Well actually several times, but who kept track?) and   
even though she was revived, her replacement had been called. Buffy's death couldn't call another replacement,   
which could mean only one thing. 

"Faith is dead?"   
  
"Apparently." Ethan tried to sound disappointed but he wasn't. He didn't much like the rogue slayer.   
She would kill anyone if it suited her and he didn't fancy his chances of being on her good side, should they   
ever meet again. 

"The Council saw it as tying up loose ends. They wanted a slayer that they could control." 

"And they knew Katherina could be controlled because...?" 

"Because she was raised by the council." 

"No." Now Giles suspected that Ethan might be lying. "I would have known if there was a slayer at   
the council." 

"Don't feel bad old friend. Like I said, she was Travers' project. Almost no one at the council knew   
until she was activated. She was taken from her home at the age of five, raised by Travers and trained as   
a slayer. She's had no contact with the world outside the council; no friends, no hobbies, nothing but killing   
vampires and demons. In other words, she's the perfect brainwashed killing machine of our pal Quentin."   
Ethan raised his glass in mock salute and downed it's remaining contents in one shot. 

Giles was alarmed, but still suspicious. "Why are you telling me this?" 

"I'm getting old, Rupert." Ethan sighed again and leaned back in his chair. "I know I don't look it,   
but you don't generally find long life expectancies in my line of work. I've cheated death one too many   
times, and it's gotten me thinking." 

"About what?" 

"About where I'm going to be spending eternity. I've seen some of those hell dimensions and let me   
tell you, I don't fancy them. I was thinking more of paradise. Now that's where I wouldn't mind going.   
Got to earn those frequent flyer miles first though, don't I?" 

"Very nice. Now why are you telling me this, really?" Giles crossed his arms over his chest; a quiet   
signal that he was loosing his patience. 

"Bah, you're no fun anymore. Look, we may have our disagreements, but to be very honest, I'd   
rather get beaten within an inch of my life by you and your slayer then get killed by Travers and his slayer.   
Now that they've got a slayer that actually listens to them, they've decided that they want everything back   
the way it used to be; one slayer; a willing tool of the council. They're sending Katherina to kill Buffy. I've   
done my bit by telling you. Now you do your bit by stopping it." Ethan threw down some money on the   
table and stormed out of the bar without giving Giles the chance to ask further questions. 

Giles sat for a moment, taking in the very bizarre conversation that he just had with Ethan. Of course   
he couldn't take anything Ethan Raine said at face value. He'd have to confirm it which meant revitalizing   
old contacts. It wouldn't be easy, but it was possible. 

The problem was that he had a sinking feeling that what Ethan said was true. Ethan hardly ever lied   
about something like this. Of course, he would color fact to suite his purpose; he would manipulate people   
for his own profit; but he wouldn't lie flat out in front of a man who would relish the excuse to beat him to   
the ground. 

Giles pushed himself away from the table. He pulled several bills from his wallet and threw them down   
on the table. As he rushed out of the bar, he muttered to the waitress "Keep the change." 

********** 

"Look, all I want to know is what's going on?" 

"You know I can't tell you that Rupert. You're no longer in the council. You shouldn't even be calling   
me." 

"Why not, Paul? Is Travers listening in? Is your job on the line. A girl's life is at stake here. Buffy may   
not do things the way you like, but she's a great slayer and you know it. Is she in danger?" This was getting   
frustrating. Giles had been talking on the phone for several hours. None of his friends at the council seemed   
willing to talk. This was his last resort. Paul Larkin was just an acquaintance of Giles' while he was in the   
council, but he was a man of convictions. Giles was hoping that Paul would be the one to break the silence. 

Paul's voice cracked on the other end of the phone. "I can't..." 

Giles slammed a fist into the wall. "Is she in danger?" He practically screamed into the phone. 

"You don't know what you're asking." He sounded like he was about to cry. 

"Is...Buffy...in...danger? Just answer the question." He knew exactly what he was asking. 

There was a long silence. Giles was afraid that maybe Paul had hung up on him. Then finally "Yes.   
She is." Then a click and a dial tone. 

"Damnit!" He threw down the receiver, took off hid glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose to relieve   
some of the tension that was building behind his eyes. 

He moved to his closet and pulled a bag from the top shelf. He paid very little attention to what he was   
actually packing. His mind was elsewhere.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Hope you liked the chapter. Thanks to Rypt and Cyberwulf, I'm glad you enjoyed Mrs Welmont( she was fun   
to write). Cyberwulf-of course Ethan wrote the letter. He used a magic whoosy-whatsit to mast his handwriting   
(actually I never considered that Giles would recognize it). Thanks also to Teri, Queen Boadicea, and ArchNemesis   
for reviewing. I would be discouraged if I didn't think someone was reading. 


	3. Everything I've ever had

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. You guys and gals are great. Hey, a scooby snack goes to anyone   
who's figured out the title of my story. It's a reference. I don't make a lot of them, so I'm all proud of this   
one; don't know why.   
  


Chapter 3   
  


"Dawn, pass the peas, please." 

Dawn continued her conversation with Tara as she absent mindedly passed the bowl of vegetables to   
her older sister. "So anyway, Rob thought that New York was a bad idea. I mean he's quoting statistics   
for violent crimes left and right and meanwhile we're standing on a Hellmouth!" 

"Dawn, are you really sure you want to go to school in New York. It's awfully far away." 

"Well why don't I just stay in Sunnydale and get eaten?" Dawn responded with her annoyed tone of voice,   
as though something completely ridiculous was being suggested. 

Willow piped in at that moment "We're not suggesting you stay here, but maybe, I don't know, L.A. or...or...   
Arizona." Everyone looked at her oddly. "Well I don't know. I was just saying she doesn't have to go to New   
York." When no one responded, Willow turned to her best friend for backup. "Buffy?" 

"Willow's right, Dawn. You don't have to go to New York just to not go to Sunnydale." 

"Yeah, we'd miss you kiddo." Xander felt it was time to add his opinion too the pot. 

"Look, I've still got time to think about where I'm going to college. I was just saying it would be nice to   
be someplace different." 

The conversation continued on like that through dinner. Eventually it turned to a competition of who could   
get the most groans out of a joke. Tara was in t he middle of her favorite joke about the bagpipe player and the   
wheel of swiss cheese when there was a knock at the door. 

"Expecting someone?" Xander asked. 

"No." Buffy looked towards t he door, confused. 

"Maybe it's Spike." Dawn chirped. She rose to answer the door, but Buffy got up first. 

"I'll...uh...I'll get it." She laughed a little nervously. "Dawn, go get the chocolate pudding." 

Buffy walked to the front door. The sounds of the continued joke competition were in the background.   
She opened the door. "Can I help..." Her words stopped in her throat as though they had just been turned   
to stone. There, in the doorway, stood the man who had abandoned her and her friends months ago. 

"Um...hello Buffy." Giles said, smiling awkwardly. 

Buffy made no reply. In fact, she made no reaction at all. She just stared at him, trying to work out in   
her head whether he was really there, and what she should do about it. 

Giles decided that perhaps he should continue the conversation to avoid a very uncomfortable silence.   
"I realize that this is completely unannounced and probably a little..." 

"Get out." Apparently the Slayer hadn't lost her voice after all. Giles saw the pain in her eyes. He   
saw the anger and the sadness fighting for control of her. I caused that?> He wondered to himself,   
both amazed and appalled at the same time. 

"Buffy, I'm sorry to have to come back like this, but please let me explain..." 

"I said get out. Don't make me throw you out." Their eyes locked and Giles knew how serious she   
as. Well I'm not leaving her completely in the dark about Katherina. She can try to throw me out, but   
I'm not going without a fight.> A fight which he was certain he was going to get. 

Just then Dawn came up behind Buffy. "Hey Buffy, who's at the...Giles!" She practically shrieked with   
excitement, then threw herself into his arm, hugging him with almost enough enthusiasm to crack ribs. 

"Well hello, Dawn." Giles laughed. The noise attracted the attention of the rest of the Scoobies. They   
all rushed at him with a mountain of questions. 

"Giles, you're back! Why are you back? Uh, I'm happy that you're back, but..." Willow trailed off.   
  
"G-Man, where've you been? We missed you!" Xander clasped the older man on the shoulder. 

"Welcome back." Tara hugged Giles. Then as a group, they all escorted him into the house. Buffy trailed   
behind them all, arms crossed in front of her and scowling. 

As they crowded him, Dawn caught his eye. "The letters" She mouthed silently. Giles smiled warmly,   
understanding her unspoken question. He nodded and answered her with a silent "Thank you." He was   
rewarded with a bright, relieved smile. 

Giles was overwhelmed by the show of support from most of his old friends. He was so happy to see   
them again, that he nearly forgot why he was there. Willow and Xander brought him into the dinning room   
while Dawn ran into the kitchen to get an extra plate and some silverware. They were all interrupted by   
Buffy, excusing herself rather abruptly. "Well, I'll be back. I have to patrol." Her voice was sharp, and higher   
than usual.   
  
Giles turned. "Buffy, no." This wasn't going to be fun. There was going to be a lot of shouting. He   
winced when Buffy turned to him with burning anger in her eyes. He looked back to the rest of the gang.   
Willow had frozen mid serving him turkey. Tara and Dawn looked on expectantly, and Xander took a step   
backwards. He was still trying to cope with his recent breakup, and the palpable tension in the air was more   
than he could handle. 

"I wish" Giles began. "That I could say this was just a social call, but it's not. I have some news." 

"I don't care." Buffy's voice was dangerously quiet. 

"Buffy." Willow scolded, but Buffy was going to say her mind, and no one was going to stop her. 

"No Will, this needs to be said." She turned to Giles, and walked right up to him so that she could rant   
at him face to face. "You abandoned us, Giles. I don't care how happy everyone is that you're back. You   
left us. Your choice, not ours. You ran away. You hid from your problems; something you taught me never   
to do. You never called, you never wrote! You totally cut us off!" By now her voice was shaking with pent   
up rage and hurt. "You really showed you cared, didn't you? Do you know how I felt when I started getting   
my letters returned to me in the mail?" Tears were streaking down her face. No one else in the house dared   
make a movement or a sound. "Do you know how I felt when I realized that you didn't even care if I was   
alive or dead?" 

"Buffy, that's not true and you know..." 

"Shut up!" Giles was stunned into silence. Everyone else, who had until this point been watching with   
their mouths open, realized that this was an argument that they were not invited to. They slowly and quietly   
began to file out of the dinning room, desperate to escape the tension that was clouding the air around them. 

Giles waited for whatever came next. "You hurt me! You abandoned me! How am I supposed to react,   
Giles? Am I supposed to smile and...and be all happy that you're back? Cause I'm not. So whatever it is   
you have to tell me, just say it and go." 

Giles made no sound for nearly a minute. He was still in shock from Buffy's tirade. He thought about   
what she had said and about what she had meant. Then, hesitantly, he began his response. "When I...what   
I did was not meant to hurt you. You know that. I left because while I stayed, I would be the adult. Dawn   
needed you to be the adult, but she wasn't going to get what she needed while I stayed. Now you seem to   
have done a...a fine job as an adult." He ignored the derisive snort that escaped Buffy. 

Giles sighed. He pulled his glasses off and began to wipe at them with his shirt. "I'm not going to   
apologize for what I did. I'm sorry for everything that has happened to you since I left, but I still feel that   
I made the right decision." 

"And the point...?" Buffy was getting impatient. 

Giles took a deep breath. "Faith is dead." 

That seemed to get Buffy's attention. She dropped her confrontational posture and let the surprise   
show on her face. "The council...they...um...they killed her, Buffy." 

"What?" Giles knew this wasn't easy for Buffy to hear. She had always held out hope for Faith.   
The rogue slayer had caused them all so much pain, but Buffy never stopped believing that there was some   
good in her. Now even that little bit of hope was gone. 

"Perhaps you should sit down and we should call the others in. This concerns them too." Buffy dropped   
into the nearest seat, the emotional exhaustion evident in the mechanical way that she moved. 

Giles called the rest of the gang into the dining room. When they had all taken their seats, he began to tell   
them about Ethan's visit and the Council's plot. 

"So wait." Xander said in a light voice that suggested that a tension breaker was about to be born. "You   
joined a band?" 

"Xander, please. Focus." Giles tried to admonish the young man. 

"Wow." Willow's voice was filled with wonder. "She was raised by Travers? Poor girl. Think about   
what kind of childhood she lived." 

"I don't think she had a childhood." Dawn said, a little sadly. 

"Hello Will, She's here to kill. Let's not get too sympathetic." Buffy had calmed down some, but she   
refused to look at Giles as she spoke. 

Willow chose to ignore the tension between Buffy and Giles. They would deal with that later. For now it   
was good that they were sitting at the same table. "You're right. I'm all with the bad and the let's not get   
friendly, but she doesn't even have a choice, does she? She's here to kill because Travers told her to. She   
probably doesn't even know that there are non-killing options. She's been brainwashed." 

"Well maybe we can convince her that the council is wrong." Tara suggested. 

"It's a possibility, but I think we should all be prepared for a fight. She's going to know a lot about us.   
I'm sure that the council has given her plenty of information." Giles said. 

"Alright here's the plan. Nobody should go out alone. If possible, travel in pairs. If you see Katherina, run.   
I don't want any of you getting in her way. Just contact me as soon as you can." Buffy was in full leader mode   
when she was interrupted by a hesitantly raised hand by Xander. "Um, what does the council's pet slayer look   
like? You know, so we'll know when to run." 

Giles fished through his bag and pulled out the file on Katherina. Ethan had left it on the bar table when he   
left. Inside there was a photo of a girl of about 18 years. She had a hardened, pale face, long black hair pulled   
back into a braid, and vivid green eyes that seemed to glow. Xander shivered as he looked at the picture.   
"Are you sure she's a slayer, and not a vampire?" 

Buffy shot him an annoyed look to silence him. "Well meet back here tomorrow morning to figure out   
details." Dawn started collecting the half eaten bowls of pudding on the table. It seemed no one was in the   
mood for dessert tonight. Tara, Willow, Xander, and Giles headed for the door. Willow turned to Giles and   
asked "Giles, where are you staying?" 

Giles smiled, slightly. "I'm not sure yet. I'll let you know tomorrow morning." 

"You could stay here tonight!" Dawn chirped. 

"No that's alright. I wouldn't want to impose. If I remember correctly, there are always vacancies in the   
hotels. This isn't exactly a popular tourist town." 

"Giles, you're staying here." Buffy's voice was monotone when she spoke. "It's safer." She made an   
effort to smile. It was a weak smile, but Giles appreciated the gesture and smiled back. 

"Thank you." 

"Well, we'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning!" Willow waved to her friends. 

"Yeah, I'll bring the doughnuts." Xander added. "Jelly, right Giles?" 

"Hmm?" Giles turned distractedly towards the young man. "Oh. Yes. Thank you Xander." 

Xander waved as he followed Tara out the door. Then it was just Buffy, Dawn and their guest. There was   
an uncomfortable silence before Buffy finally mumbled "Dawn, can you get some sheets and a towel for Giles   
and get him settled in? I really should patrol...clear my head a little." 


	4. Healing is painful

Here's chapter 4. Not my best chapter yet, but some important stuff happens it in. Feedback and   
criticism are always welcome. Thank you to everyone wh has reviewed so far. Special thanks go   
out to Cyberwulf and Teri who seem to be the only two following my story right now. I'll continue   
writing this story, even if it is for just you two. I don't think I could stop writing this one if I wanted to.   


Chapter 4   
  


Buffy walked through the darkened streets of Sunnydale, her mind racing over the past several hours.   
Giles was back. It was so surreal. She never thought she'd ever see him again. He disappeared from her   
life and made sure no one would ever find him again. When she first saw him, all of the pain that she'd   
bottled up deep inside of her after his leaving came flooding back. She wanted to lash out. She wanted   
to attack. For a moment, she even wanted to physically hurt him. 

That was bad enough, but it felt even worse when the anger passed. Giles was back. He didn't have   
to come back, but he did. He came back to protect her. The idea that he would cross the Atlantic, just   
to protect her made her feel wonderful. He could have just called and warned her. Still, even though her   
anger passed quickly, she somehow couldn't forgive him. She was cold towards him; indifferent. She had   
to leave the house because she couldn't seem to tell him that things would be alright, and she couldn't stand   
the hurt expression on his face anymore. 

Now Buffy found herself in one of the many cemeteries of Sunnydale. She walked passed a freshly dug   
grave, deep in thought, but didn't even blink as a newborn vampire surged out of the fresh earth and attacked   
her. She casually plunged a stake through his heart and continued on. 

"I should just forgive him." She said to no one in particular. "It shouldn't be that hard. 'Giles, welcome   
back. I've missed you. Hope you'll stick around for a little while.'" Another vampire leapt out from behind   
a grave stone and charged at Buffy. She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Do you mind?" She whined at the   
vampire and staked him. 

"Where was I? Oh yeah. Convincing Giles to stay." Did she want Giles to stay? Did she really expect   
him to? She spent the rest of the walk through the graveyard trying to answer these questions, unsuccessfully. 

Her thoughts were disrupted again when she reached the edge of the grave yard, this times by her sixth   
sense. She froze, tuning her senses to something her intuition was already telling her was there. 

A dark figure seemed to drop from the sky. Buffy jumped back in surprise as the figure attacked. A fist   
caught her in the face and sent her reeling. Buffy was more prepared for the second attack, a roundhouse   
kick. Buffy caught the black leather boot that was aimed at her face and pushed back. The shadowy figure   
fell into the light of a street lamp. 

"Katherina, I presume." The pale, dark haired girl flashed a feral grin from the pavement. "So you know   
me already. Can't say I'm all that surprised." Her voice was deceptive, her soft British accent disguising the   
harshness of the speaker. She continued. "Then you'll also know why I'm here." 

"Yeah, the council doesn't like my wildly witty style of slayage in Sunnydale." Buffy's eyes opened wide.   
"Wow! How's that for alliteration?" 

Katherina rolled her eyes and jumped to her feet with ease. 

Buffy had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "You're going to insist on this, aren't you?" 

Katherina smiled grimly. "It's my duty." Then she attacked, this time with more passion. Buffy took the   
defensive, gauging her opponent's fighting style and learning her weaknesses. Katherina was an excellent   
fighter, throwing punches and kicks with precision and speed. She, however, had a difficult time predicting   
Buffy's more spontaneous and creative moves. Within minutes, both slayers sported a colorful assortment   
of bruises and cuts. They paused in their fighting, both breathing heavily, both ready at a moment's notice   
to begin the fight again. 

"You're very good." Katherina admitted during the break. 

"Thanks. You too." Buffy returned. 

"Well, this has been fun, and very educational, but as you know, one should never plan on winning a war   
in the first battle. I'll be seeing you." With that, she leapt up into the air. Buffy followed her, and saw where   
she must have come from in the first place. A large tree limb was hanging right above them. Buffy prepared   
to follow the other girl, but before she could, Katherina vanished into the dark foliage. 

********** 

After Buffy left, Dawn took Giles up to the spare room. She happily went to work collecting sheets and   
towels and being helpful. Giles, feeling useless, went down to the kitchen to make some tea. 

At the sound of the kettle whistling, Dawn came downstairs. She took a mug out of the cabinet as Giles   
poured some of the hot water into his own cup. "When did you start drinking tea?" Giles asked, amused at   
the amount of sugar Dawn put in her cup. Dawn answered by shrugging happily. 

They moved into the living room and settled down, Dawn on the armchair and Giles on the couch. Over   
the span of three cups of tea, they chatted about the past several months. They swapped stories and reminisced   
about times shared. Pretty soon though, Dawn's eyelids grew heavy, and no matter how much caffeine she   
ingested, she just couldn't stay awake. 

"Dawn, maybe you should go upstairs now." Giles said gently. She was curled into the armchair, her eyes   
barely half slits. She stirred at the sound of his voice. "I'm listening." She mumbled. "'M not sleepy." 

"Dawn, it's actually quite late. You have school tomorrow. Perhaps it's best if you..." 

"No." Dawn responded, only a little more alertly. "Finish your story about the annoying lady." 

"I finished that one about half an hour ago." 

Dawn looked at him through bleary eyes. "Oh. Then maybe I should go to bed." 

"That's a good idea." Giles helped her to her feet and watched her go up the stairs. She staggered a bit   
from exhaustion, but managed to get all the way to the top of the stairs without falling. Once there, she waved   
goodnight to Giles and trudged down the hall to her bedroom. 

Giles sighed and walked back into the kitchen to fill his cup with something a little stronger than tea. He   
found a nearly full bottle of scotch in a cupboard. He took the bottle and the mug into the living room and   
flopped back onto the couch. 

He was tired, but his mind was too busy to allow sleep. The next few minutes, he spent in silence. He had   
gotten used to the constant sounds associated with living in any city. Despite Sunnydale's tendencies towards   
apocalypse, it was a relatively quiet town. Aside from the sound of Dawn brushing her teeth upstairs, all Giles   
could hear were the crickets, and a light breeze rustling the trees. Such calm sounds. Such peaceful, soothing... 

********** 

Giles was startled awake by the sound of the front door opening. He had dozed off on the couch, he didn't   
know how long ago. The empty tea cup that was dangling from his fingertips fell to the ground when he sat up. 

He turned to see a shadow pass and a second later, he heard water running in the kitchen. Buffy must be home.   
He took a look at the glowing display on the VCR. It read 2:45am, but it was blinking, so Giles wasn't certain that   
it was accurate. 

He picked his cup up off the floor and proceeded into the kitchen. He wasn't certain this was the right time,   
but he needed a chance to talk to Buffy alone, without the rest of the world listening in. 

He walked tentatively into the kitchen. Buffy turned at the slight noise behind her. She was still in high gear   
from the fight earlier. When she faced him, he nearly dropped his tea cup again. He hadn't expected to see her   
so badly beaten. She had a deep purple bruise on her left cheek, a cut on her forehead, and many small scrapes   
and cuts on her hands and arms. 

Without thinking, he placed the cup on the table and walked over to her, taking the damp cloth from her hand.   
He sat her down on a nearby chair and began to clean her wounds for her. At first, she pulled away from his   
touch, shooting a dangerous expression at him, but exhaustion and a desperate need for contact weakened her.   
Neither one said a word as Giles worked. When he had finished with her forehead, she smiled a little and a soft,   
bitter laugh escaped before she could stop it. 

"What is it?" Giles asked. It was odd how loud the question sounded. It was barely more than a whisper.   
Buffy shrugged and looked at the floor. "It's like you never left. It's weird." 

Giles didn't know how to respond to that, so he waited patiently for her to continue. 

"It's weird because you did leave," She laughed again, and Giles winced when he saw a tear roll out of the   
corner of her eye. "and I know you're going to leave again. I just got used to being alone. Damnit Giles, why   
did you come back now?" 

Giles ran a hand through his hair and then took his glasses off to polish them. "I don't expect you to forgive   
me. I did what I thought was best. As to my leaving again, well, I hadn't given it much thought yet. I've learned   
to live one crisis at a time. May I ask you something?" 

"What?" 

"When this is all over, do you want me to stay? Things are very different now. You may not even want   
me ar..." 

"Don't." Giles stopped speaking. "Don't ask that right now. How can you ask that?" Buffy passed a hand   
over her face. Her eyes were tearing up again, and Giles felt the same happening to him, involuntarily. "Giles,   
you're right. Things are very different now." She laughed nervously. "I don't think you know how different   
they are." She had still managed to keep her affair with Spike a secret from everyone but Tara. She hoped that   
she could keep it that way for a little while longer. 

In the silence, Giles took the initiative. "Buffy, I left to give you space and time to grow up, and reach your   
full potential. I think you've done that now. I know you don't need a watcher in your life any longer, and I'm   
sure that things are quite different, as you said. If you don't want me...perhaps it's best if I just leave when this   
whole mess is sorted out." He looked at the ground, defeated. 

"No." Her response was abrupt. Giles' eyebrows lifted in surprise. "I think maybe I do want you to stay.   
I thought about it while I was patrolling. I'm angry about what you did, but I still miss you. I want to hate you.   
I just can't seem to...you're one of my closest friends and I want you in my life." 

Giles took a deep breath. Buffy noticed that a muscle in his jaw tightened as he nodded his head. It was a   
silent affirmation to himself, and one of the most emotional displays Giles had ever made in front of her. "Which,   
uh, which brings me to my next question. What happened on patrol?" 

"Oh!" It hadn't even occurred to Buffy that she had yet to tell him about Katherina. "Well you know, the   
usual; vampires, demons, evil slayer puppets of the council." 

"Slayers? You ran into Katherina?" Giles asked in alarm. 

"It was no big. We butted heads, circled each other a couple of times, tried to pull each other's hair out, and   
then she jumped into the trees and ran away." Buffy took the cloth from the table where Giles had left it and   
began rinsing it in cold water from the sink. 

"So she was just sizing you up." 

"Basically, yeah." 

"This could be serious Buffy. Did you manage to learn any weaknesses? Did you recognize her fighting   
style? Did..." 

"Giles, it's really late and we're both going to be down here in a few hours with doughnuts and coffee. Can   
we do this then?" 

Giles nodded. "Are you going to be alright?" He asked, indicating towards her wounds. They already   
appeared to be healing. 

Buffy smiled, genuinely this time. "I'll be fine." And with that, she walked tiredly to bed. 

********** 

Early the next morning, all of the Scoobies were assembled around Buffy's dining room table. Buffy was   
pacing back and forth, her wounds from the previous battle merely pale scars now. Giles sat bleary eyed with   
a cup of strong tea in one hand and a jelly doughnut in the other. Xander looked like he hadn't slept at all that   
night. Willow and Dawn seemed like the only two who had slept more than a few restless hours. Dawn was   
running around the kitchen taking care of coffee, tea, and other breakfast items not provided by Xander.   
Willow was already on her laptop, looking for any information that might help. Tara wasn't there. She had   
early classes that she couldn't miss. 

Buffy explained what had happened the previous night. "She's strong. Stronger than Faith. She's a   
technical fighter. She didn't have any weaknesses, except that she was having a hard time anticipating my   
moves." 

"Well that's strange. I would have expected the council to prepare her. They know Buffy's fighting   
style." Giles wondered. 

"Yeah," answered Willow. "but they've been training her since she was a little kid to be a council slayer.   
I mean, she's only been learning about Buffy since the council decided to...you know..." 

"Good point Will. She probably hasn't had much time to adjust." Buffy was still pacing back and forth   
through the dining room. "Okay, so she's really well trained, but not much field experience. That's not leaving   
me much of an advantage. A couple more fights and I think she'll be able to kick my ass." 

"So the question is" Xander summed up for everyone. "what are we going to do about this slayer and how   
are we going to get it done fast?" 

Everyone fell silent, all understanding the implications of what Xander just said. What were they going to do   
about Katherina? Were they going to kill her? She wasn't like Faith. She wasn't evil as far as they knew. She   
was a pawn of the council. She didn't deserve to die. 

"We should try to talk to her, I guess." Willow suggested. 

"Yeah." Xander answered with too much enthusiasm. "And then we can all go out for ice cream!" 

"Xander, that's not helping." Giles set his tea down and rubbed t he bridge of his nose. "Be that as it   
may, he has a point." 

"But..." Willow started hopefully. 

"We don't want this to become another incident like Faith, but we may not have a choice." Giles turned to   
Buffy. "If you run into her again, try to open a dialog with her, but..." 

"If push comes to shove I'll make sure I'm the one doing t he shoving." Buffy said, reassuringly. 

"Good." 

"So standard Slayer alert all around." Xander quipped. "No one get in the Slayers' way, and we're out   
of doughnuts, and I'm late for work." He jumped up as he looked in alarm at his watch and ran out the door,   
leaving a very confused group of friends trying to catch up. 

"Okaaaay..." Buffy commented. 

"Yes, well." Giles replaced his glasses on his face. 

"Hey!" Dawn finally spoke up. "If we can win this new slayer over to our side, then maybe you can take a   
break or retire or something." She took a seat next to Giles. 

"Dawn, we've been over this before. I can't just give up being a slayer. It's not a job. It's...it's a...it's just   
what I am." 

"Fine!" Dawn yelled. She pushed away from the table and ran angrily up to her room. 

"I'll talk to her!" Willow jumped up, eager to help. 

When she was gone, Buffy sighed and looked at Giles. "Things haven't changed much, have they?" 

"No. I don't suppose they have."   
  



	5. Return

  
Here's chapter five. Sorry I haven't posted in a little while. Teri and Cyberwulf, hope you enjoy this.   
  
  
  


Chapter 5   


For over a week, there was no sign of Katherina. Giles took advantage of the quiet time, catching up   
with all of his family in Sunnydale. Though Dawn had sent him regular updates on all the events in   
Sunnydale, he missed the different views of events. He missed Willow's optimism, and Buffy's sarcasm,   
and Xander's unique brand of humor. He missed talking to them. 

While they were waiting for Katherina to make her next move, it also became apparent that the   
relationships between Giles and his former charges had changed in his absence. They were friends now.   
They were on equal ground. The Scoobies had grown up. They were adults, and therefore they didn't   
look to him to solve all their problems. They didn't segregate him to the role of "boring old book guy",   
as they had in the past. 

Upon his return, Sunnydale was a whole new world for Giles. He spent several evenings with Willow   
and Xander at the Bronze. He went on patrol with Buffy(it felt satisfying to dust a few vampires after all   
this time). He helped Dawn with her homework in the afternoons. He was useful and needed in a way   
that he was never needed before. 

It was a bright Tuesday morning, eight days after Giles had arrived. Dawn had just gone off to school   
and Buffy had just gone off to work. Giles had the morning to himself, but he was on a mission. He had   
promised to take care of dinner for all of the Scoobies, but first he needed to do a little grocery shopping.   
He chose not to take a cab, and instead enjoy the calm of Sunnydale day. 

It was amazing what a different world Sunnydale was in the light. School busses where trundling   
down the suburban streets. Women in high powered suites, and men in white collared shirts and subdued   
ties were getting into their cars with coffee and the morning paper. The sounds of birds and lawn mowers   
filled the air. Giles took a deep breath; definitely a different world. 

He had just left the residential area and was nearing the back of the nearest grocery story when there   
was a flash in the corner of his eye. His heart leapt into his throat and he turned, certain that something   
was wrong. 

There was nothing there. Giles listened intently for a moment, but he could here nothing but the   
sound of a car alarm going off in the parking lot. He relaxed a little and was about to start back towards   
the store when a powerful hand clamped over his mouth and another wrapped itself around his arms and   
chest. He struggled, but to no effect. He was dragged into the shadows of the alley behind the grocery store. 

When they were out of sight, his assailant stopped. He felt warm breath on his neck as he heard as soft   
feminine purr. "If you make a sound, I'll snap your neck. Do you understand?" Giles shook his head yes. 

The hand was removed from his mouth, and he was slammed into a dumpster. When he saw who his   
attacker was, his worst fears were confirmed. Xander was right about Katherina. Up close, her resemblance   
to a vampire was even more profound. Her skin was sickeningly pale, as though she had only seen the sunlight   
on rare occasions. Her color was emphasized by the dark makeup she wore around her eyes and the dark hair   
that framed her face. She stared into his eyes with the same violent intensity that he had seen on the faces of   
demons before they killed. But there was something else as well. Deep in her eyes, behind the violence and the   
confidence, there was...something. Giles couldn't identify it yet. 

Right now he was more concerned with inhuman strength that had him pinned to the dumpster; feet   
dangling in the air. Damn!> He thought to himself. Bloody stupid of me. 'Nobody should go out alone.'   
I was standing right next to Buffy when she said that, and what do I do? I practically hold a sign over my   
head that reads 'easy target'? What am I going to tell Buffy if I survive this?> 

Giles' thoughts were interrupted by Katherina's soft voice. "You're her watcher. You're supposed to   
be in England. So what are you doing here?" 

Giles didn't speak, the slayer's earlier threat on his neck still fresh in his mind. Katherina, misunderstanding   
his silence for defiance, backhanded him across the face and threw him to the ground. "Talk." She commanded. 

Giles tried to rise to his feet, but a swift kick to the ribs convinced him otherwise. "I'm loosing my patience."   
Katherina informed him. 

"Ethan Rayne." He said simply, after catching his breath. He couldn't betray Paul's trust. If the council   
found out about Paul's involvement, Giles was afraid they would kill him. On the other hand, they had known   
about Ethan for years. They had tried to kill him on several occasions that Giles could recall, and he had   
survived each one. The man was like a cockroach. 

"The warlock?" Katherina questioned. 

Giles nodded. He had to give away as little information as possible, but still make it sound convincing.   
"He contacted me...by phone. Said my slayer was in danger and gave me a description of you." 

"Why would he help you? He's not the type." She asked, suspiciously. 

"I wondered the same thing myself. I think he's less comfortable with you around, than with Buffy.   
Can't say I blame him really." Another kick. The wind was knocked out of him, and Giles could   
practically feel the bruise spreading over his ribcage. 

"Where did he get his information?" 

"He wouldn't say." He gasped. "I wouldn't put it past him to have the whole council bugged   
though. Probably heard someone talking about it in the loo." Misdirection was his only weapon at   
the moment. Giles only hoped he was convincing enough. "I'd check into that when you get back   
to the council, if I were you." Another swift kick silenced Giles, as he began to curl in around his injuries. 

Katherina towered over him, considering what she had just heard. She picked him up by the collar   
again. "Tell your slayer that this isn't just about her. This is about her entire network. She can't protect   
you and all of her friends at once." With that, she threw him back against the dumpster and vanished into   
the shadows. Giles tried to follow her movement, but found it impossible. 

"Well," He said to himself, and the one rat that regarded him from inside a cardboard box. "That was   
exciting." 

********** 

That evening, everyone sat around the table, eating out of containers of chinese take out. Giles now sported   
a vivd black eyes from his encounter with Katherina which everyone noticed as soon as they walked in the door. 

It was hardest telling Buffy about his stupidity and bad judgment. He tried to lighten the situation with humor.   
Buffy walked through the door and froze when she saw Giles' face. "Hello Buffy." He smiled nervously.   
"You'll never guess who I ran into at the grocery store." Buffy was not amused, she was concerned. She ran into   
the kitchen and forced an ice pack onto Giles' eye. 

"What were you thinking, walking around alone when you know Katherina's out there?" 

Giles was actually a little annoyed at Buffy's mothering. "Look, I couldn't very well make dinner for everyone   
with no food in the house. I had to do some shopping. Besides, I'm a grown man. I can take care of myself."   
She glared at him in silence. At a loss for words, Giles was appalled to hear himself say "You're not the boss of me." 

After Buffy had calmed down, she allowed Giles to make a phone call to the chinese take out restaurant,   
while she began cleaning up around the house. It was a way to relieve some stress. 

Now, several hours later, and with stomachs full, the conversation had turned away from Giles(Thankfully),   
and on to a new battle plan. Giles explained Katherina's threat to everyone. "She's going to go after your   
weakness Buffy, and that's your care and concern for us." 

Willow threw up her hands in frustration. "Grr! When are these people going to figure out that attacking   
us doesn't work. I mean how many people have tried it already? Angelus tried it, Faith tried it, Glory tried it,   
Spike tried it..." She ticked each one off on her fingers. "We're still here. Most of them aren't." 

Buffy looked down at the ground trying to disguise shame as thinking. "Since Giles showed up, Spike had   
been making himself scarce. No one mentioned it, mostly because they didn't care. For some reason, the   
vampire didn't want to be anywhere near Giles now that he and Buffy had been sleeping together. He wouldn't   
explain why, and Buffy didn't have time to wonder. She just hoped that the whole thing with Spike wouldn't   
come out while Giles was home. She couldn't bear the look on his face if he ever found out. 

"Yeah, well, look at how many times things almost didn't work out. It's always been a really close call.   
I don't want to deal with that again. I think we should take the offensive; attack her before she can hit us again." 

"Buffy, last time you fought her you came home an absolute mess. What makes you think you can beat   
her?" Giles didn't want Buffy rushing into a fight without thinking first. 

"Well what am I supposed to do? Wait around for him to attack you again; or Dawn, or Xander or   
Willow?" 

"No, that's not what I meant." Giles answered, irritated. "It's just..." He paused, struggling for the   
right words. "There's something I didn't tell you earlier...about my encounter with Katherina. We're treating   
this girl like we did Faith, but I don't think that's a fair assessment." 

"It's my duty." Buffy said quietly to herself. 

"Buffy, don't you think you're abusing the 'it's my duty' line?" Xander asked. "Next thing you know,   
you'll be going though the cereal looking for the decoder ring that Dawn called because it's your duty." 

Buffy was only half listening to Xander's ranting. She seemed deep in thought. Willow noticed this and   
asked "What is it Buffy?" 

"Hmm?" Buffy suddenly snapped out of her reverie. "What? Oh. Katherina said that. She said 'It's   
my duty.' when we were fighting. By the time Faith joined the Mayor, it wasn't about duty. It was about   
doing damage and having fun." 

Giles was nodding as Buffy spoke. "I noticed that too. She didn't say anything of that sort, but there was   
something in her eyes. She wasn't enjoying threatening me. It was just a job to her. That's her weakness." 

"Wait," This time it was Dawn who spoke up. She had been quietly picking apart the last egg roll until this   
point. "her weakness is that she doesn't get her jollies out of kicking ass? Then we have a problem, because   
neither does Buffy." 

Giles was once again astounded at the young girl's capacity to understand what was going on. "That's not   
exactly it, Dawn. Buffy has a very good reason to fight. She fights to protect you and all of the people she cares   
about. She has a very strong motivation. Katherina probably has no friends. She's doing this because Travers   
told her to." 

"And everything I know about Travers says he isn't much motivation." Buffy interrupted. "So her weakness   
is her motivation. I don't know Giles, how can this help us. I don't think talking to her is going to do anything." 

"No, I agree. She's too well trained and too well brainwashed for talking to work." His glasses were off   
again and he was deep in thought. He stood up and began pacing around the room. 

"What are you thinking, Giles?" 

"I'm not quite sure yet. We need to plant a suggestion. We need to get through a wall that has been built   
up over years. Talking won't do it..." Giles trailed off, obviously still deep in his own thoughts. 

Willow was the next to speak. Her words were quiet and timid. "A spell?" 

All eyes turned to her and she looked around defensively. "I'm not suggesting that I...what I meant was...   
how could you guys think that? I'm clean! I don't do magic any more!" 

"Of course Willow. We're sorry." Buffy apologized. "You were saying?" 

"Well, like Giles said. We need to plant a suggestion. Maybe a spell that is performed by someone who is   
not me, could do that. Maybe we could plant some sort of visual image; something her subconscious couldn't   
outright deny." 

Giles groaned in frustration. "Of course, why didn't I think of that?" 

"Think of what?" Xander asked. 

"It's so simple!" Giles continued as though Xander hadn't spoken. "I'll need some help, but it won't   
be difficult at all." 

"Tara can help!" Willow suggested. Tara smiled and nodded. 

"I'll need Xander's help too. We'll need to form a triangle. We'll need some supplies, but this should   
do the trick." 

The rest of the evening was spent planning. Details were worked out and concerns were raised and answered.   
The most difficult part of the plan would be to find Katherina and to keep her distracted long enough for the   
spell to work. 

"Leave that up to me." Buffy said. 

With that, the meeting was over. The table was cleared, and everyone went off to get a good night's sleep.   



	6. Boiling Point

While reading your comments(thanks for them by the way) I noticed a that most people wanted   
Giles to find out about Spike. I was actually going to leave that in the air. When I started this story,   
I was going to leave that up in the air. Buffy hadn't told anyone but Tara, and I was going to keep it   
that way. But, since such a high percentage wrote that they wanted Giles to find out, I'll try to work   
it into the next chapter. 

As far as Ethan is concerned, I'm not sure if he'll be making an appearance in the final chapter. I   
wasn't planning on it, but I've gotten a few requests(so to speak), so maybe. Here's the final big   
argument between Buffy and Giles. I'm not very good at confrontation, so writing it is difficult   
too. Sorry about that. Enjoy the rest though. 

Chapter 6   


There were no signs of Katherina the next morning or afternoon. All of the Scoobies traveled in   
pairs at least, with the exception of Buffy, who called in sick to work and was day patrolling. Giles   
and Tara began scavenging for magic supplies and fine tuning the spell they would need. Willow   
and Xander took Dawn to school and then took snitch duty; asking around about vampirish girls   
walking around during the day. In essence, it was a normal day on the hellmouth. 

They all met up again that evening over left over chinese food and tea. This time they sat in various   
positions around the living room. 

"So, how do we get Katherina in a room with all four of us there and in place?" Xander asked. 

"Bait? We need some kind of bait!" Willow suggested. 

"Yeah, but the only thing she wants is us dead, and she's being pretty careful about picking her moments.   
I don't think she'll walk into a room with all of us in it at once." 

Everyone looked around the room at each other, at a loss for any ideas. "Alright." Buffy once again took   
charge. "Everyone brain storm tonight on how we lure Katherina. We need some ideas, and we need   
them yesterday. I'm going on patrol. Willow, can you watch Dawn until I get back?" 

"Sure." Willow said. "Hey Dawn, lets make popcorn and watch Iron Chef again!" 

"Listen, I'm going past the campus. Tara, do you want a lift?" Tara nodded and smiled at Xander for   
the offer. 

"Uh, Buffy, if you don't mind, I'd like to patrol with you tonight. If Katherina shows up, you might need   
some back up." Giles was polishing his glasses again as he spoke. 

Buffy looked at him as though she was going to protest, but then nodded. "Let's see if we can add some   
effective, but non-lethal weapons to our arsenal." 

"I left most of my weapons at the Magic Box. The tranquilizer gun should be there still." Giles suggested. 

"Yeah, actually, I've got that here. Good suggestion, Giles." Buffy ran up the stairs and came down   
after a moment with a stake, a crossbow, the tranquilizer gun, and a smaller stun gun compliments of the   
now defunct Initiative. She handed the crossbow and tranquilizer to Giles, and kept the two smaller   
weapons for herself. "Ready?" She asked. 

"Yes, of course." Giles answered. Grabbing his jacket on the way out. 

"Be careful!" Dawn called as they left. Buffy waved back at her in answer. 

Walking into the dark of Sunnydale's night streets, Giles listened to the sound of Xander's car as the   
engine started and they pulled out of the driveway. Then he focused all of his attention to the task at hand. 

********** 

Buffy sighed. "This stinks." She grumbled. 

"Yes well, it does seem rather quiet." Giles walked next to Buffy through the cemetery. They walked   
slowly, listening and watching for signs of vampires and other slayers. In the last two hours, they ran   
into one newborn vampire, which Buffy dispatched before Giles even had a chance to react. 

"Well there doesn't seem to be much point. Why don't we call it a night? We're not going to find anything." 

"It is getting rather late. Perhaps we'll have more luck tomorrow." 

They took the long route home, passing one last cemetery on the way back, and several other popular spots   
for vampires. Nothing was stirring that evening. Buffy and Giles made it back to the Summers' home   
frustrated, but without incident. 

The first hint that something wasn't right was when Buffy noticed that the front door was slightly ajar. It   
wasn't hanging wide open, but neither Willow nor Dawn would be stupid enough to leave a door open, even   
slightly. 

Buffy froze when she saw it. Her muscles tensed and her senses flared as the hairs on the back of her neck   
stood on end. Giles, whose eyesight wasn't nearly as good as Buffy's, might not have seen the door, but he   
picked up on Buffy's tension. 

"What is it?" He whispered, not wanting to distract the slayer, or call attention to themselves if there were   
any demons nearby. 

Buffy whispered back. "Something's not right. The door's not closed." 

Giles took position just behind Buffy, his crossbow at the ready. Buffy stalked towards the door, silently.   
Each step on the front stoop was taken with deliberate concentration. Buffy pushed open the door the   
rest of the way. Inside, it was quiet. In fact, it was eerily quiet, taking into consideration the state of the   
house. Tables and chairs were turned over. Lamps and vases were shattered. Things were strewn about   
the floor. 

Talk to me!" There was no answer. Buffy ran into the living room in a panic. From the kitchen her heard   
Giles' strained voice. "Buffy, in here quickly!" 

The slayer joined her watcher in the kitchen. What she saw almost made her heart break. Willow was   
sprawled on the kitchen floor, a deep gash in her forehead. Giles kneeled beside her to determine the extent   
of her injuries. 

"What happened? Is she okay? Where's Dawn?" Buffy asked, scanning the kitchen for clues as to what   
happened. 

"I don't know. Buffy, call an ambulance. Then check upstairs for Dawn." Before he had finished, Buffy   
was giving their address to the operator over the phone. She hung up as soon as she was done, then ran   
upstairs, calling Dawn's name. 

Just before the ambulance came, Buffy returned downstairs. "She's not here." Her voice had hints of   
both fear and relief. She didn't find Dawn's dead body, and right now that was what she was trying to   
hold onto. 

Giles looked up at her from the floor. "Do you think it was Katherina?" Buffy shook her head, unsure,   
but before she had the chance to answer, Willow stirred. At the same time the paramedics came in through   
the still opened front door. 

Buffy knew that they wouldn't have a chance to talk to Willow once the paramedics got to her, so she   
quickly knelt down next to her semi conscious friend, and shook her gently. "Willow, what happened?" 

"Hmm?" Willow's eyes opened and fell on Buffy's concerned face. "Buffy?" She slurred. "Dawn!" 

"Willow, did Katherina do this?" 

Willow shook her head yes. The paramedics were in the kitchen, pushing Buffy and Giles out of the way.   
"Buffy, the factory...she said...she's got Dawn...she wants to fight..." Her eyes rolled back up in her head   
and she once again passed out. 

Buffy and Giles both turned their attention on the paramedics who were lifting Willow onto a cart. "Will   
she be okay?" Buffy asked. 

"She's suffered a major trauma to the head, but no neck or spinal injuries. She should be fine, but we   
need to get her to a hospital." Buffy got the name of the hospital that they were taking her to, and then   
watched as they wheeled her out. 

The slayer turned to Giles with a smoldering expression. "Go with Willow." Then she walked away. 

"Wait, Buffy! You're not going after Katherina alone." 

"I'm going to kill her." 

"Buffy, you can't, you know that. She's still human." 

"She attacked Willow and kidnapped Dawn, Giles. What do you suggest I do, ask her nicely to stop   
hurting the people I love?" 

"All I'm saying is that..." 

"I don't care!" Buffy's anger and fear and frustration were all boiling to the surface. "You're not my   
teacher and you're not my watcher. You gave that and the right to make decisions in my life up when   
you left Sunnydale. I am not going to risk the lives of my friends, just because you..." 

"That's enough!" Giles roared. His fist pounded the kitchen table, nearly cracking the wood. The   
sudden fury made Buffy jump, her mouth hung open in mid-rant. "I am sick and tired of listening to you   
whine and complain about my leaving. Maybe my returning was a mistake. My presence only seems to   
bring out the worst in you. Willow's hurt and Dawn's missing and all you can think about is that I left."   
Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but Giles silenced her with a warning look. 

"Now if you're not going to accept my help, then fine, do it your own bloody self. But I suggest you   
think before you go rushing in like a...a cartoon cowboy because you're going to get yourself and Dawn   
killed that way!" The watcher turned his back on Buffy and stormed out of the house. 

Buffy listened as the front door slammed shut behind him. The only sound Buffy could hear was the   
beating of her own heart. She was alone again, and it was her own fault. Her eyes widened as realization   
hit her. All of those things that she said and did to Giles; how could she do that? How could she blame all   
of her problems on him? She realized that it might be too late to apologize, but she had to try. She raced   
out of the door, prepared to chase Giles down; prepared to track taxis, buses and planes to find him. She   
wasn't prepared to be met by him on the front porch. 

Giles made no move leave. He waited silently for Buffy to act. She stepped back, suddenly very unsure   
of what she wanted to say. She decided that simple would be best. 

"You're right. I've been selfish and immature." She looked at the ground, unable to face him. "So   
many things happened after you left...things I didn't tell you. It's been too much. And then you came back   
and I just fell into old habits; really bad old habits. I swear that I didn't mean to hurt you. I saw what I was   
doing to you. I really hated myself, but I couldn't stop." She looked at Giles with pain and fear clouding   
her eyes. "I used you. I used you as a punching bag; as a focus for all my pain and anger. And it's not   
your fault. You had nothing to do with anything that has happened. It's my fault. This is all a result of   
my decisions. And I'm making a decision right now. I'm going to get Dawn back. But Giles, I need your   
help." 

Giles hadn't a clue what she was talking about. Whatever was bothering Buffy, Giles assumed that   
Dawn must not know about it either. Nothing that she had written to him about would elicit this type   
of reaction in his slayer. Whatever it was must be pretty bad, he thought. 

"Alright. I think you and I need to have a long talk when all of this is over. I'm obviously missing   
something. Right now, why don't we make some phone calls and let the others know what happened."   
Buffy brushed some stray tears from her eyes and nodded. They walked back into the house to make   
the phone calls and then drove in silence to the hospital.   



	7. Past Returned

Here's my next to last chapter. Sorry it took so long. I am planning to copletely re edit and rewrite th is story   
once I'm finished with it because I'm just not satisfied with the quality of writing that went into it, so if you have   
any suggestions, please feel free to leave them. I would appreciate the help. This chapter is longer than the others.   
Lots of stuff happens. This is the big showdown, so enjoy and tell me what you think. *^_^*   
  


Chapter 7 

"She's going to be okay?" Tara looked at Willow's unconscious form and then at Buffy and Giles for   
reassurance. "She's going to be fine." Giles placed a hand on the witch's shoulder to comfort her.   
"The doctors say she just needs some rest." 

Tara didn't seem completely convinced yet. "But she's not awake. Why hasn't she waken up yet?" 

"She's suffered a head trauma. They said it will probably be a few more hours before she wakes up."   
Giles offered. 

"Yeah, but like any member of the Scooby gang, she has developed a hard head over the years." Once   
again, Xander was trying to lighten the mood with humor. He was rewarded with a shy quiet smile. 

Buffy broke the personal moment with her slayer-business voice. "Katherina did this. She attacked Giles,   
then she hurt Willow and kidnapped Dawn. She won't stop unless I stop her, and I mean now. She left a   
message for me. Willow was able to pass it along before she totally lost consciousness. Katherina's got Dawn   
in the old factory. She wants to fight me." Giles stood off to the side with his arms crossed looking very   
unhappy. Buffy was going to do what she wanted, and there was nothing he could do to stop her. At least she   
had enough sense to wait till everyone was assembled before going after the council's slayer. 

"Tara." The witch jumped slightly at the sound of her name. Though she had been listening, the majority of   
her focus was on massaging the back of Willow's hand, gently. Buffy softened her voice for the sensitive girl.   
"Tara, do you have everything you need for the spell?" Tara nodded and held up her back pack. "I though, just   
in case, I'd bring it." 

"Good." Buffy smiled. "We need whatever time we can get." 

"Let's not forget that we are walking into a trap here." Giles felt it was time to reassert himself. 

"I know. We'll have to be careful. Look, when we get there, I want everyone to stay clear of Katherina.   
Just get Dawn, and stick to the plan." It suddenly became very quiet. Each member of the Scooby gang looked   
at each other. How many times had they been here before? How many times had they experienced this erie   
calm before going off to face some monster or yet another apocalypse? It seemed now like there was a new   
crisis every week, and each time they went to face evil and doom, they took a moment to reflect on battles past. 

The moment passed, and as a unit the four friends left the hospital room. They made their way to Xander's   
car. Once in the car, Tara began sorting through the ingredients in her pack. She divided them up and gave half   
to Giles, as they would both be performing identical spells. They once again explained to Xander exactly what his   
part in all of this would be. Xander kept half of his attention on the road, and the other half on the two magic   
users behind him. 

"Now you won't have to do anything exactly." Said Tara. 

"No incantations or brewing." Said Giles.   
  
"You'll need to focus our energy."   
  
"It will feel like gravity pulling your arms in opposite directions." 

"Just focus on keeping that feeling, like you're holding onto two...um" Tara thought for a second. "...dog   
leashes! Like you're holding onto two dog leashes." 

"I get it." Xander assured them. "I'm the dog sitter of this mission." 

"Xander, you must understand how vital you are to this spell. If you loose concentration, even for a second,   
the effect will be broken and Katherina will know exactly what is going on. We can't let that happen." Giles   
scolded the younger man. 

Xander nodded from the driver's seat. "Giles, I get it. I really do. You can trust me with this. You know you   
can." Xander was right of course. Giles would trust any of the young adults present with his life. 

********** 

The old bleached cement walls, crumbling with neglect, looked as though they were burning in the light of   
the sunset. Typically, the abandoned factory, where once many nasty creatures had planned their mischief, was   
swarming with vampires at this time of dusk. For the last few weeks however, no vampires had come anywhere   
near the place. Not since a pale slip of a girl had walked in and taken out an entire nest of vampires with a pointy   
stick and her bare hands. 

Now, in the shadow of the large building, a single unassuming automobile rolled to a halt. Four figures   
cautiously stepped out and swiftly glided into the unlocked front door.   
  
On the outskirts of the parking lot there was an empty lot, overgrown with wild underbrush. Unbeknownst   
to the four heroes, they were being watched by two other figures, hiding in the bushes. 

The one on the right, a scrawny man with a dark, unkempt beard and ratty jeans, tee-shirt and sneakers   
looked on in wonder. "Was that who I think it was?" He asked in a voice abused by centuries of tobacco. 

"The slayer." His companion, taller with a medium build, and soft brown hair and eyes that disguised the   
raw power and viciousness the man possessed, replied. "The other slayer." 

"So they're gonna fight, again?" 

"This is just like when the Mayor's pet Slayer came to town." 

"Yeah, this might get ugly. Let's get out of here." 

The brown haired vampire turned to his friend. "You wanna head down to the park and get a bite to eat?" 

"Yeah." The scruffy vampire replied. "But this time let me pick. You have terrible tastes. Every time we   
eat what you want, I get indigestion for a week." They laughed and ran off, sticking to the long shadows cast   
by the faded light. 

********** 

Tara, Giles and Xander followed Buffy through the winding passages of the factory. They were in the   
building's bowels, and still they had not seen hide nor hair of Katherina or Dawn. As the three mere mortals   
followed Buffy, Buffy followed her elevated senses. She was moving purely on instinct, a slight breeze   
from this corridor-turn right, a scraping sound in the walls-go straight, a whiff of Dawn's perfume-right again. 

Then she heard it. The others heard it too. Not too far away, there was a cry of frustration. It was Dawn's   
voice. Buffy took off at a dead run towards the sound and the others struggled to keep up. They stopped   
when they caught up to Buffy, who was standing in the doorway of one of the many storage rooms. Buffy   
was talking to someone, but the rest of the Scoobies couldn't see past her to see who it was. 

Giles didn't need to see past her, though. He recognized the voice. 

"Well are you going to come in, or are we going to stand here all night?" Katherina asked of Buffy.   
Buffy shifted her gaze. "Dawn, are you alright?" 

"Yeah." Came a shaky response from a far corner. 

"Alright, lets do this." Buffy ran into the room with a sudden jolt. The sounds of fighting quickly   
followed. Just outside the room, Giles turned to the two young adults beside him. "Alright, make sure   
you're both positioned correctly. Stick close to the walls and stay away from the fighting. I'll be closest   
to Dawn from the sound of things, so wait till I cut her loose, Tara. We have to start together." They   
all nodded and ran into the room. 

It wasn't a large room as far as storage facilities went. It had a high ceiling, and apart from some   
moldy cardboard boxes and stray bric-a-brac, it was empty. Since the power had been cut after the band   
candy incident, the room had been rigged with torches set into the walls at regular intervals. It gave the   
utilitarian space a savage medieval look. Tara and Xander made a sharp left as soon as they entered, and   
Giles turned right. 

Up till that moment, both Slayers were fighting cautiously, throwing punches and kicks and blocking   
them easily. However, when the Scoobies entered the room, Katherina smiled grimly and stepped up the   
fight. She executed a series of punches and kicks aimed at Buffy's head, chest and stomach, all of which   
Buffy blocked with her hands. "Brought you seconds, I see." Katherina grunted. 

Buffy threw a punch at Katherina's left shoulder. As Katherina blocked it, Buffy sent a hard kick up at   
her chest. The kick connected, sending Katherina back a few steps. "I just want to make sure it's a fair   
fight." She said. 

"And who will make sure that it's fair for me?" Katherina threw a roundhouse kick, aimed at Buffy's   
head. Buffy jumped backwards into a handstand, avoiding the kick and managing to catch Katherina under   
the chin with one of her own. Katherina swiped her feet under Buffy, kicking her hands out from under her,   
and sending the blond slayer to the floor. 

Buffy rolled out of the way and jumped to her feet again. "Let me remind you that you are the one   
trying to kill me. Why don't you just go back to the council, and save us both the fight?" 

"Not bloody likely!" The fight continued, growing more vicious by the second. Dawn, who was chained   
to an iron ring, imbedded in the cement floor, also saw Tara, Xander and Giles enter. She had been relatively   
unharmed during her imprisonment, but she was hungry, exhausted, frightened, and bruised. She sat, huddled   
in her corner, ignored by the dark slayer. When she saw Giles coming towards her, she perked up visibly.   
She couldn't stand; her chains were too short for that, but she did climb to her knees and shuffle as close   
to Giles as possible. 

He knelt beside her and pulled out several pieces of curved metal wire. He quickly went to work picking   
the padlock on Dawn's chains. At the same time Tara began setting up her supplies for the coming spell,   
Xander arrived at the far wall of the storage room, and sat down cross-legged, watching events unfold, and   
Buffy was dealt a bone jarring blow to her jaw. She reeled backwards from the force of the hit, and had to   
shake her head to clear her vision. 

The next series of events happened in a blur. Buffy refocused her attention on Katherina just as the other   
slayer pulled something glittering out of her knee-high black boot. Xander shouted out an inarticulate   
warning. Katherina pulled back her right hand and let loose the small dagger. Buffy twisted to her right, just   
out of the path of the weapon. She felt the displaced air create a slight breeze as it past her throat. What she   
didn't realize was that Dawn, just released from her chains, was standing directly behind her. Her younger   
sister's eyes grew wide with horror when she saw Katherina wield the dagger. Giles, who was kneeling with   
the lock picks still in his hand, saw Dawn's apparent alarm, but not the cause. He stood to ask her. "Dawn...?"   
He was thrown into the young girl by the force of the dagger hitting him behind his right shoulder.   
  
Time stood still. Buffy looked from Giles and Dawn, motionless on the ground, to Katherina, standing   
casually several feet away. "Oops." She smiled. "My mistake." Buffy's complete demeanor changed in   
a matter of seconds. She became cold and calculating. "You kidnapped my sister and you hurt my watcher   
and my friend. I'd call that more than a mistake." Buffy attacked with full force. Punch, kick, kick, punch,   
jab, punch, punch; she moved too fast for Katherina to counter, and although Katherina also managed to get   
a few punches through Buffy's defenses, they didn't have much effect. 

In the right corner of the room, Dawn struggled out from under Giles. Giles groaned, rolling painfully   
into a half sitting position. 

"Giles! Are you okay?" Dawn asked, sitting beside him and wondering what, exactly, she should be   
doing to help. 

Giles winced as Dawn touched him lightly on the arm. He tried to reach the dagger with his left hand,   
but the motion sent a wave of pain through his back. "I'm fine, Dawn." He fought to keep his tone   
even. It might not have been entirely true, but it was half true. He would be alright. He was breathing;   
he didn't feel like he was drowning, which led him to believe that the knife missed his lungs. Still, it   
bloody hurt! "Listen, I can't reach the knife, so you're going to have to pull it out for me. Can you   
do that?" 

"Yeah. I can do t hat. Just like they taught us in the first aid unit of health class, right?" Her voice   
shook with nerves and her face had gone pale with the realization of what she had to do. Giles was not   
encouraged by her lack of confidence. He wanted to ask how well she did on the first aid unit, but decided   
it was probably better not to. 

On the other side of the room, Xander scuttled over to Tara, who had finished setting up for the spell   
and was now watching events unfold with bewilderment. "Xander!" She exclaimed when she noticed   
him at her side. "This is not good. We need to help." 

"Yeah, you noticed that too, huh? I know I'm just focus guy, and why does that sound so odd coming   
from my mouth, but is there anything I can do; you know with the spell?" 

Tara thought, and then nodded. "Yes. See how everything is set up in front of me? Can you go over   
to Giles bag and set everything up the same way? That way, when he's ready, everything will be, you   
know, ready." 

Xander looked at Tara's set up. "Okay, empty bowl in the middle, brushy stuff and lighter to the left,   
and three little bottles to the right. Would you like fries with that?" He turned without waiting for a   
response and ran, half crouched, over to Dawn and Giles. 

Dawn had just removed the knife from Giles' shoulder and was trying to stop the flow of blood with   
a handkerchief Giles had been carrying in his back pocket. "Xander, what are you doing here? You   
should be in place." The Watcher, whose face was three shades paler now, scolded.   
Xander was already unpacking Giles bag and placing the items in their proper places. He kept his voice   
light and conversational in order to hide his concern for everyone. Willow was in the hospital, Giles was   
hurt, Buffy was fighting for her life, Dawn looked petrified. In fact, he and Tara seemed to be the only   
ones holding it together, and he was just barely doing that. 

"Well G-Man, I'll tell ya. It looks like our plan has been delayed slightly. I just thought I'd pop on   
over here and lend a hand." He surveyed his work with satisfaction. "See, just like Tara's. Now when   
you're ready we can get this shindig started." All three of them looked in the direction of Buffy, who was,   
at the moment, being throttled by Katherina on the cold cement floor. The fight had turned again, this time   
in Katherina's favor, but Buffy managed to gain some leverage and push her opponent off. 

"Let's get to it then, shall we?" Giles suggested, taking the bloodied handkerchief from Dawn. 

"You got it." Xander answered. "Time's a-wasting!" He returned back to his place at the far wall.   
From his place sitting cross legged against the wall, Xander looked at Tara, who nodded her readiness.   
Then he looked at Giles, who also confirmed that he was prepared. Then Giles and Tara made eye contact. 

********** 

It started off as a whisper; not even a noticeable breeze in the back of Katherina's mind. However,   
the whisper grew, as whispers often do. It was easy to ignore at first. It was soft and unintelligible; Latin   
maybe. She never understood Latin. Travers had tried to teach her, but she wasn't the best student.   
The whisper became a distraction when out of the babble came words that had meaning. "...home...family..." 

"What?" She tried to determine where the sound was coming from. In her distraction, Buffy was   
able to get in a few good hits. A kick to the chest finally floored Katherina, but she took advantage of   
her position, swiping a leg first at Buffy's stomach, and then at her legs. Buffy jumped back to avoid the   
blows, giving Katherina the chance to get back to her feet. 

The two opposing slayers circled each other cautiously. Both were beaten badly and showing signs   
of exhaustion. Katherina was dealing with the added distraction of the voices, that apparently only she   
could hear. Buffy knew what was happening. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Tara chanting   
softly while burning some kind of plant over a bowl. She knew that Giles was doing the same exact thing   
on the other side of the room. They were doing their job. Her job was to keep Katherina busy until the   
spell took full effect. She couldn't let Katherina notice what was going on on the sidelines. That meant   
that she would have to cut this little break short. 

"Ready to give up yet?" Buffy asked. Katherina shook her head and smiled a wolfish smile. "But   
f you want to quit, I'll completely understand." At that, she pulled a second dagger from her other boot.   
"This one won't miss." Katherina promised, as she advanced on Buffy with her weapon. 

Katherina took several swipes with the dagger. Buffy avoided them by twisting and bending out of   
the way. She didn't attack. _Just stay out of the way of that dagger and keep her swinging._ Buffy   
thought grimly. And Katherina did keep swinging. As the spell grew stronger, she became more   
distracted; more disoriented. Her attacks became wild and unfocused, and it became easier for Buffy   
to avoid them. Then... 

"Ahh!" Buffy exclaimed as the steel point finally met it's mark. A thin red line ran across her ribs.   
It wasn't deep and would probably stop bleeding in a matter of minutes, but it served as a reminder as   
to how dangerous a disoriented opponent could be. 

Katherina shook her head, still trying to clear the half coherent voices from her mind, and then lunged   
at Buffy one last time. Before she even reached the blonde slayer, a voice made her stop in her tracks. 

"Katherina, stop!" This voice was not a whisper. It rang out with confidence. That wasn't what   
made her stop. She recognized the voice. It had been nearly 14 years, but she would never forget   
that voice. She spun around and found herself looking straight into the eyes of her mother; 14 years   
older than when she had last seen her, but her mother none the less. She had the same long dark hair,   
the same porcelain doll face, and a long flowing midnight blue dress like she always used to wear. 

Katherina's jaw dropped opened, the fight forgotten in the shock of seeing what she was certain   
was a ghost. "Mum?" She whispered, fearful that any abrupt sounds would chase the apparition away. 

"Kathy." This time it was a male voice that spoke her name. It came from behind her. Katherina   
didn't turn around right away. She mentally prepared herself for what she knew she was about to witness.   
Just behind her, her father took several steps closer to her. He seemed less real than her mother, more   
ghostly, but it was unmistakably her father; very tall, light brown hair cut short and tidy, and big hands.   
He always gave the best hugs with those big hands. 

Katherina shook her head in denial. "It's a trick. It's a bloody conjure or something. Y-you're   
dead." She said breathlessly, but she made no move towards action other than to shift her attention   
back and forth between each parent. This couldn't be real. Her parents were dead, weren't they?   
Travers had told her that himself. They were killed by vampires. But the sight of her parents standing   
in front of her, talking, moving, smiling even, began to unravel 14 years of conditioning. 

"We're not dead." Her mother said. 

"Travers lied to you. Think about it and you'll remember." Her father added. "He took you from   
us. Hid you." 

"We looked for you. For the past 14 years we looked for you, but we never found you." Her mother   
stepped   
closer. It wasn't a threatening move, but it was filled with caution. Both of her parents seemed well aware   
of the danger she posed even to them. 

"You never found me?" Katherina's voice was faint, but gaining strength again. There was a hint of   
her usual sarcasm in the question. Obviously they had found her if they were, in fact, standing in front of her. 

"We didn't." Her father explained. "Someone found us. Now listen very carefully, this is important."   
He walked towards her, reaching into a pocket inside his sports coat. Katherina saw the movement, and   
returned to a defensive posture, brandishing the knife. "Don't come near me." She growled dangerously,   
like a trapped, wild animal. Her reason was beginning to reassert itself. She knew that these weren't her   
parents. They couldn't be. Her parents were dead, despite what her senses told her. 

Her father, pale and translucent, froze in mid-stride. Their eyes locked and in that moment, Katherina's   
suspicions were confirmed. They definitely weren't her parents. The man in front of her seemed to   
realize what she was thinking; what she now understood. He withdrew his hand from his coat pocket,   
holding a strip of paper. From behind Katherina, her mother's voice floated like a wisp of smoke.   
"When did Travers say we died?" 

Katherina was thrown by the question. She whirled to face the woman behind her; the witch she   
assumed; the one that came in with Buffy's entourage. She decided that the Watcher must be playing   
the part of her father. She didn't know what became of the third one, or of the slayer and her sister.   
They seemed to have faded away. In fact, the whole room seemed to have faded away. She would   
just have to play their game until she got a chance to kill them. 

"You died when I was five. Travers adopted me. He told me about my calling and trained me.   
If he hadn't, I would have been left in an orphanage." She felt like she needed to, on some level,   
defend her guardian. 

"You have to remember." Her mother said. Her voice was sounding slightly more urgent and   
desperate. _She probably knows I'm about to rip her throat out._ Katherina thought. "Remember   
the last time you saw us. We were at home in Bath. You had just turned five and we were celebrating.   
There was a knock at the door." 

"I was coloring." 

There was a confused silence. Katherina didn't know where the memory had come from. She saw   
herself sitting in the living room. Her mother wasn't there, she was in the kitchen, but her father watched   
admiringly as Katherina put the finishing touches on a dragon from her unicorn and dragon coloring book.   
She was really quite good at coloring her father had said. The images that followed hit her with more   
force than Buffy ever could.   
__ __

_ "Look Daddy, a dragon!"___

_ "Very good sweetheart! Show your Mum when she comes in, alright?"___

_ There was a knocking at the door, and her mother's voices floated from the kitchen. "I'll get it_   
_dear."___

_ Katherina contentedly flipped to a new page in her book. She had no concern for who was at the_   
_door because she had no notion what was about to happen. As far as she was concerned, life would_   
_go on as normal and perfect as it had for the last five years.___

_ Her mother was opening the door as Katherina picked up the blue crayon. She wanted to make_   
_a blue unicorn. "How can I help..." Her mother's voice trailed off, then took a different tone, one_   
_that Katherina had never heard before. "What are you doing here?" It was a dangerous sound,_   
_like the dog down the street that always growled if you got too near his territory. The hairs on_   
_the back of her neck stood on end. She stopped what she was doing to look over her shoulder at_   
_the front door. Her father rose from the couch and walked purposely to the door to help his wife.___

_ Whoever was at the door(Katherina couldn't see from the living room floor) began to speak then._   
_It was really more of a whisper and she couldn't understand what he was saying. She understood her_   
_father's response. "Get the hell out of my house! We told you no! She'll have no part in your_   
_secret society!"___

_ Katherina jumped to her feet as though she had been stung by a bee. Her father never spoke like_   
_that, not even when she accidentally broke the old grandfather clock last year. Something was very_   
_wrong.___

_ The person at the door pushed past her parents and strode into the house. "Well, it's really not_   
_up to you is it?" He was tall. Not as tall as her father, but still very tall. He had short black hair_   
_and wore a dark suite. He frightened Katherina as he menaced towards her, so she began to back_   
_away. Her parents moved to block him from her, but he turned calmly to them and uttered a few_   
_words that Katherina didn't know. Her parents fell to the ground, sound asleep. Katherina's_   
_eyes opened wide with horror. She tried to run, but the strange man said the same words and_   
_everything faded away._   


Katherina's stared blankly into space, the implications of her memories sinking in slowly. These   
were memories, not a spell. They had always been there, she just hadn't noticed them before. The   
council kidnapped her; it had stolen her childhood from her. It had stolen her parents from her.   
Reality snapped back into place viciously. She felt a cold fury start to form in her gut, but also an   
overwhelming need to reclaim what was taken. She turned once again to the Watcher and the witch   
that had impersonated her parents. They no longer bore any resemblance to her family. Buffy   
looked at her cautiously; watching every move she made; reading her body language in hopes of   
preventing some possible violent outburst. The witch watched everything. She was reading everyone   
at once, trying to decide where she was most needed. The Watcher seemed less concerned. He saw   
what had happened to her. He saw the change in her eyes, and he knew that she was no longer a threat.   
He approached her with the piece of paper that he tried to give her earlier as her father. She noticed   
that it was stained with a couple of drops of his blood. She had done that. She hurt him, and he was   
still trying to help. "They're still living in Bath. That's their phone number and address. We haven't   
contacted them yet, so it might be best if you called them first." 

Katherina stared dumbly at the piece of paper that Giles offered to her. He knew that there was still   
doubt in her mind, but it wasn't enough. She took the paper quickly, her hand resembling a striking   
snake as it whipped the paper from his hand. Her eyes darted from one person to the next. She said   
nothing; asked none of the questions that were buzzing in her mind like angry bees. She simply backed   
out of the room, never letting any of them out of her sight. Then she was gone. She left so quickly   
and so quietly that everyone in the room was left questioning whether the last several weeks had even   
happened. 

The tense silence was broken when, simultaneously, both Buffy and Giles collapsed to the ground;   
Buffy from the injuries sustained in her fight, and Giles from the blood loss from his shoulder wound.   
They made a soft thudding sound when they fell, but that little noise broke the spell that Katherina   
herself had left. Everyone collectively breathed again.   
  



	8. Epilog

Finally done. Yeah! Sorry I pretty much stopped for a couple of months, but moving tends   
to become something of an interuption. Hope you enjoyed the ride. 

*^_^*   
byrdgirl   
  


Epilog 

Giles lay back on his couch reading a book. On the coffee table sat a half finished cup of tea. It   
was cold now, but that seemed to hardly concern the retired librarian. He was completely relaxed.   
He sighed in the quiet of the afternoon. No one was left in the house. Buffy and Xander were both   
at work, Dawn was at school and Willow, who had been released from the hospital the day after he had,   
was recovering at Tara's. For the first time in longer than he'd care to remember, Giles was completely   
at ease. 

"Bed rest for a week." The doctor had ordered. Of course Giles protested at first. Eventually he   
was forced to agree, because it was the only way to get them to let him out of the hospital. The rest of   
the Scoobies insisted that he actually obey the doctor's orders this time. Once again Giles protested, a   
little less sincerely this time. 

"Buffy, you need the rest as much as I do." He reminded her. 

"That's the worst excuse you've ever given. You know I heal faster than you do. I'm practically   
back to my old self already. You on the other other hand..." She had taken in his pale appearance as   
they sat in the car on the way home. They had put his arm in a sling to keep him from pulling the stitches   
and there were still a few pale bruises from his first encounter with Katherina, so he really looked a sight. 

Buffy's stern gaze settled the matter entirely. "I don't want to see you with a crossbow or a book in   
your hand for a week." 

"No books?" Giles was suddenly alarmed. 

Buffy smiled. "Well, maybe we can dig something up for you, but no demonology." 

So here he sat, with Buffy's copy of Jurassic Park. He was nearly done with that one. He had also   
had the chance to read The Stand, several generic mysteries, and the first two Harry Potter books, which   
he borrowed from Dawn. It was a very pleasant recovery compared to past experiences. 

His week was coming to a close however, and he and Buffy still had not had that talk he had insisted   
upon after Dawn had been kidnapped. In fact, he got the feeling that when Buffy wasn't avoiding the   
issue, she was avoiding him all together. He had the feeling that he would have to corner her and that   
there would be a lot of resistance. 

He heard the kitchen door open and then slam shut, and Buffy grumbling under her breath. He made   
a decision, and before letting himself actually think about what he was doing, he closed the book and   
marched into the kitchen. 

Buffy was bent over the sink, the water running. She was still in her work clothes, and holding what   
looked like a shirt under the tap. She hadn't noticed Giles walk in, so her litany of muttering continued.   
"...stupid greasy fry cook, and it's my favorite shirt too. What do I have to do to protect my personal   
stuff in that place? More clothes bite the dust at that rat infested germ farm than when I'm slay..." 

Giles gently cleared his throat to let her know he was there. She jumped about two feet in the air and   
spun into a defensive position, just in case whoever was behind her had fangs, or claws. When she saw   
Giles standing behind her, looking slightly uncomfortable, she relaxed. "Feeling better?" She asked,   
while at the same time turning back to her scrubbing. 

_She's doing it again. She's avoiding me._ "I'm feeling much better. He replied, annoyance tainting   
his voice. "Look Buffy, I think it's time we had that talk you promised me." 

"Hmm?" She asked happily oblivious. She was most certainly doing it again; a combination of   
playing ignorance, avoiding the issue, and changing the subject. "Buffy, stop that." He closed the gap   
between them and turned off the water. "I won't have you changing the subject or pretending you   
don't know what I'm talking about. "I've been subjected to Dawn's after school cartoons for the l   
ast week, I think I'm owed this." 

There was a moment, when Giles could see the conflict in Buffy's eyes. She was considering her   
options. Giles was hurt that she might actually try to brush him off again. His disappointment showed,   
and that was what broke Buffy's resolve. She sagged into a kitchen chair. "What do you want to know?"   
She sounded defeated. She sounded ashamed. 

Giles took a seat next to his slayer. He didn't know the answer to that question. And now, seeing   
the look on Buffy's face, he wasn't sure he wanted any of the answers he might get. His next words   
were chosen carefully. "I know a little bit about what happened. Dawn wrote me letters." 

Buffy looked up sharply at that. "Please don't tell her I told. It was sort of a secret. She found out   
where I lived and I guess she knew I would move again if she told you. I know that Willow's abuse of   
magic continued after I left. I know about the wedding. I know Dawn was having some trouble, but   
she didn't go into much detail about that..." 

"She was stealing." 

"Pardon?" Giles wasn't sure he heard right. 

"It was going on even before you left. She was shoplifting. She even stole from the Magic Box.   
And it was so hard, I didn't know what to do. She was almost taken away by social services. And we   
don't know where Anya is. After the wedding she just left. Xander's a wreck. He doesn't let it show,   
but I can tell. I think Willow's stopped using the magicks, but sometimes I don't know. Giles it got really   
bad. She almost killed Dawn, and sometimes I get this feeling like...I don't know. And then there's Spike." 

She was definitely avoiding his gaze now. Her eyes were fixed to the table. A slight shudder passed   
through her body at the realization of what she had just said, and of what she would have to say in a moment. 

"What about Spike?" Giles prodded gently. Somehow he knew that this was it. He knew that   
everything else had led up to this and that whatever she was about to say was not going to be pleasant. 

"I've been...um..." Her voice failed. Then she took a deep breath and said it on the exhale. "I've   
been sleeping with him." 

Giles noticed that her eyes were closed when she said it, as though if she didn't look, then it didn't   
really happen. For his part, about twenty different reactions to what she had just said were all fighting   
for dominance. They ranged from storming out of the kitchen in disgust to laughing out loud at the   
ridiculousness of it all. All he managed to do though, was blink. 

Buffy, galvanized by fear plunged on, not thinking about what she was saying anymore. "Oh God,   
please don't tell the others. I mean Tara already knows and that's fine, but if Dawn were to find out,   
and Xander, well he'd never speak to me again, and Willow would be understanding and supportive   
and I think that would be worse than anything. I know I deserve to be despised. It's disgusting, I..."   
Her voice cracked and tears began cascading down her face. 

Giles' heart broke to see her so full of self loathing. He couldn't hate her for what she had done.   
Not when she hated herself so much. He folded her into his arms and held her, trying to drain some   
of the pain away. "I stopped seeing him, but he won't go away. I think he actually does love me,   
but I don't love him and I can't do it anymore! Giles, nothing is real! I feel like this is all some   
nightmare and it doesn't make any sense. Why can't I wake up?" 

Giles squeezed her tighter, wishing there was something more he could do. "I was wrong. I   
shouldn't have left you. It was the wrong time. You needed me. I'm so sorry Buffy." The tears   
that had been threatening him now escaped and made thin, silent paths down his face. They both   
stayed that way for a long time.   
  
Finally, when Buffy's sobs had diminished to occasional snuffles, she broke away from the hug.   
"But you're going to do it again, aren't you?" She asked, wiping the tears from her red eyes.   
"You're going to leave again. You have a life in England now and you're going to go back home." 

Giles thought about the Hag's Breath and about Mrs. Welmont and her keen interest in esoteric   
books. He smiled at the distraught young woman before him and said "I am home."   
  
  
  


Let me tell you that I love you   
And I think about you all the time.   
Caledonia, you're calling me   
Now I'm going home.   
And if I should become a stranger   
You know it would make me more than sad.   
Caledonia's been everything I've ever had. 


End file.
